Smart as Alexa is, she’s not quite clever enough to set up your Echo for you – not yet anyway. So, before you can start talking to her, you have to follow a few simple instructions to get up and running.

You can pair your Echo with other compatible devices to create a smarter home, and Alexa will help you do all sorts of things, from giving you the weather forecast to ordering pizza. And she even tells jokes…

Getting started

1. Alexa will then tell you, ‘You've connected to Echo. Go ahead and finish the setup in the Alexa app.’

2. Alexa will let you know that she’s in set up mode

3. Plug in your Amazon Echo using the power cable

4. Select ‘Settings’, ‘Setup a new device’, then choose your device (Echo or Echo Dot)

5. Download the Alexa app and log in to your Amazon account

6. Set your language

7. Set up mode will start automatically (if it doesn’t, press the ‘Action’ button – the one with the dot – on the top of the device)

8. Connect your app with the Echo’s Wi-Fi network - this will be called ‘Amazon-’ followed by 3 characters

9. Choose your home Wi-Fi network from the list in the app and you’re good to go!

Time spent now setting up all your preferences means you aren’t faffing around with each one as and when you need them. However, if you’ve got a burning question you can’t wait to ask, you can start quizzing Alexa straight away by saying her default ‘Wake word’, which is just ‘Alexa’, and then your question.

For example, ‘Alexa, what time is it in Sydney?’ You can leave questions about life, love and the universe for later.

You can change her ‘wake word’ to anything you want – just go into ‘Settings’ in the app and select ‘Wake word’. This is handy if you or someone in your house is actually called Alexa. As that would just be too confusing…

Interested in turning your Amazon Echo into a TV speaker? Take a look at our guide!